Thursday, December 31, 2015

Some 200 workers -- mostly Somali Muslims -- have been fired from a meat-packing plant in Colorado after staging a walkout to protest what they said were insufficient prayer accommodations, the Reuters website reports today (December 31, 2015).

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said the workers were treated in a "discriminatory manner" by managers at the Cargill Meat Solutions facility in Fort Morgan, about 75 miles northeast of Denver.

Jaylani Hussein -- a spokesman for CAIR -- said that the workers objected to new restrictions on their ability to worship on the job, "which they had been granted for a long period of time."

Mike Martin -- a spokesman for Minneapolis-based Cargill -- disputed assertions the company had changed its policy, noting that since 2009 the Fort Morgan plant has set aside an on-site "reflection area" for people of all faiths.

Enrique Marquez, who supplied his friend Syed Rizwan Farook with two assault rifles used to carry out the massacre in San Bernardino, California, was indicted by a federal grand jury yesterday on five charges, including conspiring with Farook in an earlier plot, the NY Times website reports today (December 31, 2015).

Marquez, 24, was arrested two weeks ago and charged with similar crimes as those handed down in yesterday's indictment. The grand jury's action supersedes the previous charges and avoids the need for a preliminary hearing.

In addition to a charge of conspiring to provide material support to terrorism, he faces two charges of lying about the gun purchases and entering into a sham marriage with a Russian woman related to the Farook family through marriage.

Marquez has not been charged in the San Bernardino attack itself. Court papers say he was at work during the massacre.

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

The 37-year-old man who was arrested today (December 30, 2015) on suspicion of setting fire to a Houston mosque on Christmas Day attended the facility for five years and prayed there five times a day, according to the Daily Caller website.

Gary Nathaniel Moore was arrested this morning in connection with the incident. Moore had told investigators that he was the last person to leave the Savoy Masjid mosque on Christmas Day and that there were no signs of a fire at that time.

The mosque sustained $100,000 in damages. Eighty firefighters responded to the blaze, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Investigators fingered Moore after viewing surveillance videos from nearby businesses. A search of Moore's home yielded a backpack and clothing which matched the suspect in the surveillance videos. Investigators also recovered a lighter fluid bottle which matched the one recovered at the scene.

Hillary Clinton -- the leading candidate in the Democrat party for U.S. president -- said yesterday that ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) is committing genocide against Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East, the CNN website reports today (December 30, 2015).

"Yes. I will now call it genocide," Clinton said at a town hall gathering in Berlin, New Hampshire. "And I will because we have enough evidence [to prove ISIS is committing genocide]."

She added, "What is happening is genocide, deliberately aimed at destroying not only the lives but wiping out the existence of Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East in territory controlled by ISIS."

Pope Francis also said recently that ISIS is waging a world war against Christians and that radical Muslims are committing genocide by their savage actions to destroy Christianity.

Oregon cake-makers who refused to bake a cake for a lesbian wedding have been fined $135,000 for their refusal, the Christian Headlines website reports today (December 30, 2015).

Aaron Klein, co-owner with his wife Melissa of the now-defunct Sweet Cakes by Melissa in Gresham, Oregon, refused to bake a cake for the wedding of lesbian couple Laurel and Rachel Bowman-Cryer, because doing so was against their religious beliefs.

Klein complied with the state's demands that his bakery pay for emotional suffering caused to the lesbians by his refusal to bake them a cake. He issued a check in the amount of $136,927.07, which includes interest.

An Oregon law -- enacted in 2007 -- protects the rights of homosexuals, bisexuals, and transgender people in employment, housing, and public accommodations. It is also illegal for private businesses to discriminate against customers.

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

A man pleaded guilty yesterday as part of a plea agreement, on federal criminal charges for defacing a Missouri Islamic center and burning two copies of the Koran nearly five years ago, the UPI website reports today (December 29, 2015).

Adam David Smock, 23, waived his right to a grand jury investigation and entered the guilty plea, which stems from a pair of incidents at the Islamic Center in Springfield, Missouri. Under the plea agreement, Smock is expected to be incarcerated for 14 days, followed by a five-year term of supervised release.

Justice officials said Smock and two others spray-painted graffiti on the center in January 2011 that contained hateful messages.

About three months after the first vandalism, Smock said he and the same two accomplices partially burned two copies of the Koran -- the holy book of the Muslim faith -- and placed them near the entrance to the Islamic Center. The books were accompanied by printed statements insulting Muslims, including "We vow one thing: Islam will not survive. Death to Islam!"

In what appears to have been a hate crime as well as a robbery, a Jewish man was hospitalized after being beaten and robbed in a New York City neighborhood with a large Orthodox Jewish population, the JTA (Jewish Telegraphic Agency) website reports today (December 29, 2015).

The victim, 60, was walking down a residential street of single-family homes when a man came from behind, punched him at least four times and threw him to the sidewalk.

With the help of an accomplice, the assailant then stole the victim's iPhone and wallet. The victim was kicked in the head several times, before the assailant and his accomplice -- both wearing hoodies -- fled the scene in a black car driven by a third man.

Hatzalah -- the Jewish emergency rescue service -- took the victim to Maimonides Medical Center, where he was admitted in stable condition and received 70 to 80 stitches to his head.

Monday, December 28, 2015

The Justice Department has charged at least 60 individuals in the United States this year with terrorism-related crimes, an unprecedented number that officials attribute to a heightened threat from the Islamic State (IS) and the influence of social media on potential recruits, the Washington Post website reports today (December 28, 2015).

"The common connection we're seeing is -- in almost every case -- a tie to social media," said John P. Carlin, assistant attorney general for national security, at a conference last month hosted by the news site Defense One. He also pointed out that many of the cases involve young people, who are at ease building relationships online.

More than 55 percent of those charged are under 25 years old. Most troubling, Carlin said, about one-third are 21 or younger.

Islamic State supporters inside the United States -- inspired by its leaders' calls to attack where they reside -- are increasingly plotting or attempting to carry out attacks domestically, officials said. In 2015 alone, prosecutors brought more than 15 cases against such individuals.

In a clear illustration of perseverance and power that may well serve as a prelude to future victories, Iraqi government forces retook central parts of the key city of Ramadi today (December 28, 2015) from Islamic State (IS) militants, according to the USA Today website.

The announcement by Iraq's military spokesman, Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasool, was broadcast live on state TV. He said Ramadi had been "grabbed from the hateful claws" of the Islamic State.

The operation's success was confirmed by the Pentagon.

"We congratulate the Iraqi Security Forces for their continued success against ISIL in Ramadi," said Army Col. Steve Warren, the top spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition in Baghdad.

Sunday, December 27, 2015

Militiamen loyal to an influential Afghan lawmaker beheaded four Islamic State (IS) fighters and publicly displayed their severed heads, officials said today (December 27, 2015), highlighting an increasingly brutal conflict as the jihadist group makes inroads in Afghanistan, according to the Yahoo News website.

The killings in Nangarhar province bordering Pakistan provoked horror and condemnation in a country that has witnessed four decades of bloodshed and war.

The militia force loyal to Haji Zahir -- deputy speaker of parliament -- has been battling self-styled IS militants in Achin district in the province for several weeks.

Zahir said the IS group captured and beheaded four of his fighters, prompting his men to retaliate.

Czech President Milos Zeman called the current wave of refugees to Europe "an organized invasion," adding young men from Syria and Iraq should instead "take up arms" against the Islamic State (IS) group, the AFP website reports today (December 27, 2015).

"I am profoundly convinced that we are facing an organized invasion and not a spontaneous movement of refugees," said Zeman, 70, in his Christmas message to the Czech Republic.

He added that compassion was "possible" for refugees who are old or sick and for children, but not for young men who should be back home fighting against jihadists. He says that for young men to flee from their countries fighting the Islamic State only increases the Islamic State's ability to achieve its missions.

"A large majority of the illegal migrants are young men in good health and single. I wonder why these men are not taking up arms to go fight for the freedom of their countries against the Islamic State," said Zeman, who was elected Czech president in early 2013.

Saturday, December 26, 2015

A new message purporting to come from the leader of the group calling itself the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) warned that Israelis must expect strikes soon, the Euro News website reports today (December 26, 2015).

"Palestine will be your graveyard, Jews," said the audio recording, described as being by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

It said air strikes by Russia and a US-led coalition had failed to weaken it.

"Be confident that God will grant victory to those who worship him, and hear the good news that our state is doing well. The more intense the war against it, the purer it becomes and the tougher it gets," said the message.

Demonstrators ransacked a Muslim prayer hall and attempted to burn copies of the Koran on the French island of Corsica yesterday, following a night of violence that left two firefighters and a police officer injured, the France 24 website reports today (December 26, 2015).

Tensions had mounted in Ajaccio -- the capital of Corsica -- on Christmas Day after two firefighters and a police officer were wounded overnight in Jardins de L'Empereur, a low-income neighborhood of the city when they were "ambushed" by "several hooded youths," authorities said. (Ajaccio is the birthplace of the famous 19th century French emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte.)

Yesterday afternoon around 150 people had gathered in front of police headquarters in the island's capital in a show of support for the police and firefighters, officials said in a statement.

Nearby was a Muslim prayer room and a small group smashed the glass door and entered the place of worship, ransacking it and partially burning books, including copies of the Koran. "Fifty prayer books were thrown out on the street," said regional official Francois Lalanne.

Friday, December 25, 2015

The leader of the Church of England warned today (December 25, 2015) that Christianity is facing "elimination" in the Middle East due to the barbaric terrorist lifestyle of the Islamic State (IS), the Breitbart website reports.

Justin Welby -- Archbishop of Canterbury and head of the worldwide Anglican Communion -- branded the IS terror group the "Herod of today" in his Christmas sermon, saying they are "igniting a trail of fear, violence, hatred, and determined oppression." (Herod was King of Judaea from 37 to 4 BC, who killed his own wife and children in his quest for unlimited power.)

"Confident that these are the last days, using force and indescribable cruelty, they [IS] seem to welcome all opposition, certain that the warfare unleashed confirms that these are indeed the end of times," he added.

"They hate difference, whether it is Muslims who think differently, Yazidis or Christians, and because of them the Christians face elimination in the very region in which Christian faith began," Archbishop Welby asserted.

Pope Francis tackled war, terrorism, and the migrant crisis today (December 25, 2015) in a wide-ranging Christmas-day message, calling for peace and reconciliation around the world, according to the BBC website.

The pope began by noting that "precisely where the incarnate son of God came into the world, tensions and violence persist."

He went on to urge Israelis and Palestinians to resume direct peace talks, and back international efforts to end "atrocities" in Libya and Syria.

Such acts, he said, "do not even spare the historical and cultural patrimony of entire peoples," a clear reference to the Islamic State (IS) group.

Thursday, December 24, 2015

President Barack Obama said yesterday that he is praying for Christians being persecuted this Christmas by ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria), the CNN website reports today (December 24, 2015).

"We join with people around the world in praying for God's protection for persecuted Christians and those of other faiths, as well as for those brave men and women engaged in our military, diplomatic, and humanitarian efforts to alleviate their suffering and restore stability, security, and hope to their nations," the President said in a statement released by the White House.

"In some areas of the Middle East where church bells have rung for centuries on Christmas Day, this year they will be silent; this silence bears tragic witness to the brutal atrocities committed against these communities by ISIS," Obama added.

The President has been repeatedly criticized by Republican presidential candidates for not speaking enough about Christians persecuted in the Middle East.

Fearing celebrations in Somalia during the Christmas season could provoke serious Muslim attacks,
the country's Muslim-majority government has decided there will be no Christmas or New Year celebrations, the USA Today website reports today (December 24, 2015).

Sheikh Mohamed Khayrow, director general of the religious affairs ministry, said that Christmas and New Year celebrations "could damage the faith of the Muslim community."

Security units have been given the order to break up any festivities related to the holidays.

"Christmas will not be celebrated in Somalia for two reasons: all Somalis are Muslims and there is no Christian community here. The other reason is for security," Abdifatah Halane, spokesman for Mogadishu mayor, said.

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

A British Muslim family heading for Disneyland in California was barred from boarding a flight to Los Angeles by U.S. authorities at London's Gatwick airport amid concerns of an American overreaction to the perceived radical Islamic terrorist threat, The Guardian website reports today (December 23, 2015).

U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials provided no explanation for why the country refused to allow the family of 11 to board the plane, even though they had been granted travel authorization online ahead of their planned December 15 flight.

Senior politicians have been drawn into the case, warning that a growing number of British Muslims are being barred from the U.S. without being told the reason for their exclusion. It is believed that the comments by the Republican presidential frontrunner, Donald Trump -- calling for a ban on all Muslims entering the U.S. in order to reduce terrorist attacks -- have had an impact in preventing Muslims from entering the U.S.

Aides to the UK prime minister, David Cameron, have promised that he will examine the case, which comes as community groups in the U.S. have warned that radical Muslims are being involved in an increase of violent and hostile incidents. The recent terror attacks by radical Muslims that killed 130 people in Paris and 14 people in San Bernardino, California illustrate a clear need for an extensive screening process -- including a thorough background check -- of Muslims entering the U.S., in order to prevent such attacks.

Three Israelis were seriously injured in a stabbing attack in Jerusalem today (December 23, 2017), and the two assailants were shot and killed, according to the JTA (Jewish Telegraphic Agency) website.

One of the victims in this afternoon's attack was in critical condition and being resuscitated at the scene of the attack, the Jaffa Gate in the Old City. Two others were taken to Jerusalem hospitals in serious condition.

One of the victims was hit by police gunfire trying to stop the assailants, who were identified by Israeli police as Palestinians from east Jerusalem.

Border police shot the assailants, according to Israeli police, who said one died at the scene and the other at a Jerusalem hospital.

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

More than one million migrants and refugees reached Europe this year, including over 970,000 who made the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean Sea, the Newsmax website reports today (December 22, 2015).

About half were Syrians fleeing the country's brutal civil war, according to figures released today by the UN Refugee Agency and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

"The number of people displaced by war and conflict is the highest seen in Western and Central Europe since the 1990s," the UN Refugee Agency said, referring to the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia that decade.

A total of 3,692 migrants died crossing the Mediterranean Sea this year, IOM said. Greece was by far the leading landing spot for migrants to Europe this year, with 821,008 arrivals, including 816,752 by sea.

Greece's parliament approved a resolution today (December 22, 2015), calling on the government to recognize the state of Palestine, in a special session attended by the visiting Palestinian Authority (PA) president, the Times of Israel website reports.

All of Greece's parliamentary parties voted in favor of the move, the assembly's president Nikos Voutsis said.

It urges the Greek government to "promote appropriate procedures for the recognition of a Palestinian state and every diplomatic effort for the resumption of discussions for peace" in the region, Voutsis added.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras announced yesterday -- after talks with PA President Mahmoud Abbas -- that Greece would no longer refer on official documents to the Palestinian Authority, but rather to Palestine.

Monday, December 21, 2015

In an effort to discourage refugees from immigrating to its country, Denmark is seriously considering passing a law that would allow authorities to confiscate jewelry and cash when they arrive. The proposal is almost certain to pass Parliament, the Washington Post website reports today (December 21, 2015).

"The bill presented on December 10, 2015 provides the Danish authorities with the power to search clothes and luggage of asylum seekers -- and other migrants without a permit to stay in Denmark -- with a view to finding assets which may cover the expenses," the Danish Ministry of Integration said.

The law would also affect refugees already in Denmark. It is included in an asylum policy bill that is expected to pass Parliament in January and would be set to take effect by next February.

According to the Integration Ministry, "the new rule on seizure will only apply to assets of a considerable value." Foreigners are expected to be able to "keep assets which are necessary to maintain a modest standard of living, such as watches and mobile phones..."

Pope Francis told Vatican administrators today (December 21, 2015) that he intends to press ahead "with firm resolve" to cleanse the Church's bureaucracy which has been rocked by scandals and charges of greed and corruption, according to the Reuters website.

In traditional Christmas greetings to the Curia -- the central Vatican administration -- the 79-year-old pontiff's speech was dominated by his intentions of ridding the Vatican's bureaucracy of spiritual "diseases," a reference to alleged corrupt practices among top administrators.

"It seems necessary to state what has been, and ever shall be, the object of sincare reflection and decisive provisions. The reform will move forward with determination, clarity, and firm resolve..." he said.

Joking that some in the Curia still needed "Curial antibiotics," he added that "diseases and even scandals cannot obscure" the good work that many of them do for the 1.2 billion-member Church.

Sunday, December 20, 2015

A prestigious Catholic high school -- located in an estate-filled suburb of Detroit -- now features a prayer room for Muslim students to pray, the Daily Caller website reports today (December 20, 2015).

The school is Brother Rice High School, an all-boys bastion affiliated with the Congregation of Christian Brothers in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

Brother Rice president John Birney decided to permit the use of a reflection room inside the college prep school as a Muslim prayer room at the request of Muslim students. Birney said he granted the request because he wants the Catholic school to be inclusive.

A group of parents has complained about Muslim students using the reflection room for prayers to Allah. One angry parent called the use of the Catholic school's facilities for Muslim prayer "unconscionable."

A friend of the San Bernardino terrorists -- who killed 14 people on December 2 -- told police one of the killers, Syed Farook, planned a terrorist attack for years, the Clarion Project website reports today (December 20, 2015).

Enrique Marquez, 24, is alleged to have bought the rifle used to carry out the attack. According to an FBI affidavit, Marquez and Farook had been planning a terrorist attack four years ago.

Marquez was arrested and charged with conspiracy to carry out two attacks in 2012. Farook is said to have introduced Marquez to Islam and later to radical Islamist ideology.

The pair took a step back from plotting a terrorist attack after a terrorism investigation in November 2012 resulted in four local men being arrested.

Saturday, December 19, 2015

The United States opened a so-called "friendly fire" investigation today (December 19, 2015), after 10 Iraqi soldiers were killed in a coalition airstrike targeting the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group yesterday, according to the Big News Network website.

Defense Secretary Ash Carter said an American aircraft carried out the airstrike south of Fallujah, about 40 miles west of Baghdad.

Carter said he expressed his condolences for the Iraqi deaths to a call with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

"He and I agreed that this was an event that we both regretted," Carter told reporters after the call. He added, "It's tragic... but he and I both recognized that things like this can happen in war."

As refugees are expected to swell to one million in Europe in the next few days, Oscar-winning actress Susan Sarandon arrived yesterday on the Greek island of Lesbos -- the top transit point for refugees and migrants in Europe -- in an effort to support the refugees, the NY Daily News website reports today (December 19, 2015).

Sarandon, 69, is expected to spend the Christmas holidays on Lesbos. She is known for her humanitarian involvement of supporting people in need.

"I have come to hear their stories and learn," the "Thelma & Louise" actress said. "I hope that I can make it possible for them to have a voice so we can understand. Understand that 'these people' are just like us, wanting to keep their children safe..."

According to the International Organization for Migration, 990,761 people have arrived in Europe from Africa or Asia. The Geneva-based agency says the one million mark will be reached by December 22.

Friday, December 18, 2015

The Augusta County school district in the state of Virginia closed down today (December 18, 2015) after receiving a flood of angry emails and phone messages over an Arabic calligraphy lesson that involved writing a Muslim statement of faith, the Voice of America News website reports.

The angry comments were centered on a school assignment at a Riverheads High School social studies class that involved practicing calligraphy and writing a statement in Arabic professing the Muslim faith. The statement translates to: "There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah."

The students in the class were also invited to try on a hijab, or Islamic headscarf.

Several parents have demanded that the class teacher, Cheryl LaPorte, be fired. LaPorte has declined to comment.

Israel and Turkey are poised to re-establish diplomatic relations after years of tense relations, officials from both countries said today (December 18, 2015) -- a move that could renew close cooperation between two of America's strongest allies in the region -- according to the Wall Street Journal website.

Top Israeli and Turkish officials met in secret talks this week in Switzerland, where they worked to complete a deal to restore relations that collapsed in 2010 after 10 Turks were killed by Israeli commandos who raided their ship.

The talks came as the international fight against the extremist Islamic State (IS) group injects new strains and transforms long-standing alliances in the region.

Russia's recent intervention in the Syrian civil war has altered the battlefield and led to new efforts by Turkey, the U.S. and their allies to end the conflict and combat the Islamic State.

Thursday, December 17, 2015

A meeting to decide whether to build a refugee center that would house 1500 asylum seekers ended in a riot in the Dutch town of Geldermalsen near Utrecht last night, the Euro News website reports today (December 17, 2015).

Councilors were evacuated when youths forced their way into the building after tearing down fences and throwing beer bottles at police outside. Several arrests were made, but there were no reports of injuries.

It was the biggest display of anti-migrant sentiment -- around 2,000 people -- in the Netherlands since hooligans attacked a Syrian refugee center in October.

European countries are struggling to cope with the largest movement of migrants since World War II, many of them Syrians who have been fleeing a deadly civil war that has killed some 300,000 people.

The Prince of Wales yesterday warned that the future of Christianity is in jeopardy in the Middle East, the Catholic News website reports today (December 17, 2015).

Speaking in Westminster to refugees from the region and to clerics from Middle Eastern churches, Prince Charles warned: "There is a very real crisis that threatens the very existence of Christianity in its place of origin. This affects us all."

He added: "Christianity is not a foreign religion in the Middle East. It has been part of the Middle East for 2,000 years."

The Prince warned that the Christian heritage of the region "is under threat as never before. The churches are being targeted by [Islamic] fanatics. The impact that this violence has had on people is heartbreaking. This is a reminder of what people will sink to in the name of faith."

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

A proposal to admit 10,000 Syrian refugees to the United States has ignited a bitter debate in Washington, but it has now been revealed that more than 10 times that number of people from the embattled country have quietly come to America since 2012, the Fox News website reports today (December 16, 2015).

Some 102,313 Syrians were granted admission to the U.S. as legal permanent residents or through programs including work, study, and tourist visas from 2012 through August 2015 -- a period which roughly coincides with the devastating civil war that still engulfs that Middle Eastern country.

"The sheer number of people arriving [from Syria] on all kinds of visas and with green cards, and possibly U.S. citizenship, makes it impossible for our counter-terrorism authorities to keep track of them all, much less prevent them from carrying out attacks or belatedly try to deport them," said Jessica Vaughan of the Center for Immigration Studies.

President Obama's proposal to admit 10,000 Syrian refugees to the U.S. raised concerns that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) could use forged documents to sneak some of its terrorists into the U.S. as "refugees." White House assurances that refugees from Syria would be carefully screened met with much skepticism, after it was revealed that the two radical Islamic terrorists -- who recently murdered 14 innocent people in San Bernardino, California -- were nowhere to be found on any FBI or intelligence agents' listings of suspected terrorists.

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter has called on Turkey to increase its contribution in the fight against the terrorist Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants, as part of his current tour of the Middle East that aims to increase regional support for the military campaign, the Today's Zaman (Turkish) website reports today (December 16, 2015).

Speaking to reporters while traveling to the Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey, Carter said Turkey needed to enhance its control on the border with Syria, particularly a 60-mile stretch believed to be used by ISIS for illicit trade and for shuttling foreign fighters back and forth.

Carter praised Turkey for opening its Incirlik Air Base to the campaign. "We appreciate what they're doing. We want them to do more... The single most important contribution that their geography makes necessary is the control of their own border," he said.

U.S. President Barack Obama also raised the issue of porous borders. After a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on December 1, Obama said there has been some progress in sealing the border between Turkey and Syria, but that there are still some "gaps" exploited by ISIS to bring in foreign fighters and to sell oil.

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Two-thirds of Palestinians support the current wave of knife attacks against Israelis, an opinion poll has found, as the Palestinian population grows ever more pessimistic about the prospects of an eventual peace settlement, the Telegraph (British) website reports today (December 15, 2015).

A survey found that 67 percent of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank support using knives to attack Israeli troops and civilians and back the onslaught that has left 21 Israelis dead in the last two months.

The same violence has claimed the lives of more than 100 Palestinians, most of whom were shot dead while carrying out the stabbing attacks, according to the Israeli government.

Mahmoud Abbas -- the Palestinian president -- said the violence was being carried out by young people "driven by despair that a two-state solution is not coming." Abbas added he believed the violence against the Israelis was "justified" -- and saw no indication of it abating -- due to Israel's ongoing occupation of Palestinian land.

A German Islamist preacher was arrested in Germany today (December 15, 2015) for recruiting fighters for the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group in Syria, and purchasing and delivering military equipment to IS, according to the Yahoo News website.

Sven Lau, 35, is suspected of recruiting Germans living in and around the western German city of Duesseldorf to fight abroad, the Federal Prosecutor's Office said in a statement.

Hundreds of Germans have left the country to join IS in Syria and Iraq since 2012, the interior ministry says.

The interior ministry of North-Rhine Westphalia state -- where Lau was arrested -- said he was suspected of supporting a "terrorist" organization abroad under the guise of providing humanitarian aid.

Monday, December 14, 2015

The U.S. Army said today (December 14, 2015) it would refer the desertion case of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl to the highest level military court-martial -- which can impose the harshest of penalties -- the USA Today website reports.

Berghdal, 29, is charged with walking off his post in Afghanistan in 2009 before he was captured by Taliban insurgents, who held him for nearly five years.

The Army decision to hold a "general court-martial" preserves the option to impose punishment up to life in prison if Bergdahl is found guilty.

In 2014, the Obama administration exchanged Bergdahl for the release of five Taliban prisoners held in Guantanamo Bay in a weird deal that triggered outrage from many members of Congress, with some even accusing Bergdahl of treason by joining the Taliban. Also, several of his platoon mates in Afghanistan said Bergdahl let his colleagues down by walking off his post, and then put soldiers at risk when a manhunt was launched in an effort to find him.

A Muslim terrorist who yelled "Daesh" -- the Arabic name for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) -- stabbed a Paris elementary school teacher in the throat shortly before 7 a.m. today (December 14, 2015), according to the Jewish Press website.

The teacher was knifed several times and was rushed to a Paris hospital. His condition is unknown at this time, but initial reports are that his life is not in danger.

No children were in school at the time, as the attack occurred before school-opening time.

The attack occurred in the Paris suburb of Seine-Saint Denis -- the same area where ISIS terrorists were living when they carried out multiple massacres in Paris last month.

Sunday, December 13, 2015

Warning that Turkey has to be approached with "caution" and cannot be treated like a European nation, Czech President Milos Zeman said he does not like the idea that Turkey could be considered for membership in the European Union (EU), the PJ Media website reports today (December 13, 2015).

Zeman lashed out at the EU -- in which the Czech Republic holds membership -- for promising to pay Turkey $3.2 billion in aid in exchange for preventing Syrian refugees from traveling to Europe.

"The Roman Empire, before it collapsed, too, paid tribute money to barbarians [for them not to pilfer its territory]." he said, adding that although Barbarian Turkey is a NATO member, it often acts as an ally of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Zeman then explained that Turkey can take care of the Syrian refugees because they -- like the vast majority of Turks -- are Muslims. On the other hand, transferring Muslim culture to Europe, he said, presents a serious danger.

President Yahya Jammeh has declared Gambia is now an Islamic state, but stressed that the rights of the Christian minority in the small west African country would be respected and that women would not be held to a dress code, the AFP (Agence France-Presse) website reports today (December 13, 2015).

The announcement came as the president addressed supporters in the coastal town of Brufut on December 10. The comments were later broadcast on state television and repeated on his website.

"Gambia's destiny is in the hands of the Almighty Allah. As from today, Gambia is an Islamic state. We will also be an Islamic state that will respect the rights of the citizens," he said.

A poor former British colony nestled within Senegal, and noted for its white-sand beaches, Gambia has a population of nearly two million, 90 percent of whom are Muslim.

Saturday, December 12, 2015

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin met in New York City last night with leaders of America's three main Jewish denominations -- Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox -- and the Reform and Conservative leaders emphasized that they are disappointed that the Israeli government gives preferential treatment to Orthodox Jews, the Times of Israel website reports today (December 12, 2015).

Both Rabbi Rick Jacobs of the Union for Reform Judaism and Rabbi Steven Wernick of the United Synagogue for Conservative Judaism called on Israel to grant equal rights to non-Orthodox Jews on matters concerning marriage, divorce, conversion, and worship at the Western Wall.

In an incredible policy of discriminatory favoritism for Orthodox Judaism, the Israeli Rabbinate still does not recognize non-Orthodox conversions, does not allow Conservative or Reform rabbis to preside over funerals, and does not sanction weddings performed by non-Orthodox rabbis.

At last night's meeting, Rivlin offered warm talk to the Reform and Conservative leaders, but lacked any prospect of concrete changes in Israel. He did, however, agree that Israel must "show full respect and full sensitivity to all American Jews."

In a ridiculous anti-Christian statement that almost cost a university chancellor and several diversity staff members their jobs, the University of Tennessee (UT) at Knoxville warned students to not throw Christmas parties because someone might somehow be offended, The Daily Beast website reports today (December 12, 2015).

UT at Knoxville issued this "Scrooge-ish" piece of advice last week: "Ensure your holiday party is not a Christmas party in disguise."

The university has since rediscovered its Christmas spirit, but not before bewilderment and anger by some students and several politicians who interpret any slight against Christmas as an attack on Christianity itself.

Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey wrote that Tennessee's very reputation was at stake: "If this post was approved by [UT] Chancellor [Jimmy] Cheek, he should resign. If not, the entire staff of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion should be dismissed." Chancellor Cheek apologized for the non-Christmas party statement, and agreed that students should be allowed to have a Christmas party if they so desire.

Friday, December 11, 2015

A fire that broke out today (December 11, 2015) at a mosque in Coachella, California appears to have been intentionally set, authorities say, sparking condemnation and alarm in the Riverside County community and beyond, according to the LA Times website.

The fire occurred at the Islamic Society of the Coachella Valley mosque and is one of several incidents over the last week that officials believe may be a backlash to the San Bernardino massacre by two Muslim radical terrorists that killed 14 people last week.

Riverside County Supervisor John Benoit said he was alarmed at the possibility that the mosque was targeted for religious reasons.

He added, "If in fact it was done with the mosque as a target... it's reprehensible, and the people who perpetrated that act should be treated the way we would any other terrorist."

The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) -- an American atheist organization -- has launched a new campaign to remove Bibles from hotel rooms, saying the Bibles should be replaced with Charles Darwin's book, "On the Origin of Species," the Christian Headlines website reports today (December 11, 2015). (Darwin was a 19th century British naturalist, who was the originator of the biological theory of evolution.)

The FFRF sent letters to several hotel chains recently, including the Holiday Inn, Quality Inn, Hilton, Marriott, Best Western, Radisson, Carlson, Country Inn, and Sheraton to make the demands.

The atheist group claims that Bible provider Gideons international was "exploiting hotels and motels to proselytize a captive audience."

FFRF Co-Presidents Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor wrote: "Those who must read the Bible every day will surely take precautions to travel with their own copies. The rest of us deserve a break from mindless evangelizing when we are on vacation."

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia's suggestion -- during an oral argument in court yesterday -- that black college students would be better off at a "slower-track school" where they "do not feel they're being pushed ahead in classes that are too fast for them'' has sparked a national uproar, the Washington Post website reports today (December 10, 2015).

That uproar extended from the Supreme Court chambers to the U.S. Capitol building this morning, where Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) used his floor remarks to lambaste the Republican-appointed Scalia.

"These ideas that he [Scalia] pronounced yesterday are racist in application, if not intent," Reid said. "I don't know about his intent, but it is deeply disturbing to hear a Supreme Court justice endorse racist ideas from the bench on the nation's highest court."

During yesterday's argument in the Supreme Court case challenging the University of Texas' race-based admission standards, Scalia said: "There are those who contend that it does not benefit African Americans to get them into the University of Texas where they do not do well, as opposed to having them go to a less-advanced school... a slower-track school where they do well... And I don't think it stands to reason that it's a good thing for the University of Texas to admit as many blacks as possible."

The Citadel -- a military college in Charleston, South Carolina -- said today (December 10, 2015) that it is taking punitive action against the students involved in images posted to Facebook showing cadets dressed in all-white clothing as well as white hoods, similar to the garb historically worn by the Ku Klux Klan racist group, according to the ABC News website.

Citadel President Lt. Gen. John Rosa called the Facebook post "offensive and disturbing" in a statement today and said that suspension proceedings had begun for the students involved in the photographs.

A woman -- who was not a cadet -- saw the image of an upper class cadet in front of seven cadets with pillowcases over their heads on Snapchat and then posted the screenshots on Facebook. The cadets were singing Christmas carols in a "Ghost of Christmas Past" skit.

Rosa said, "In accordance with college policy, we immediately began suspension proceedings... and we are continuing to investigate this incident."

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Determined to tighten its immigration policy, Finland's government said yesterday it will require asylum seekers to work for free and to acknowledge a "national curriculum" on Finnish culture and society, the Reuters website reports today (December 9, 2015).

It will also regularly reassess conditions in the asylum seekers' home countries twice a year, and if necessary, cancel residence permits accordingly.

"The new set of measures will tighten our practices and erase possible attractiveness factors," Prime Minister Juha Sipila said.

About 32,000 asylum seekers have come to the Nordic country this year, compared to just 3,600 last year, as refugees and migrants pour into Europe to flee war and poverty. The government said it will speed up the return of migrants who don't qualify for asylum, estimating around two-thirds will be rejected.

A plaque erected in 2008 in the Jewish ghetto of Warsaw -- dedicated to the "memory of those who suffered, fought and died" during the Nazi occupation of Poland -- was defaced with a large swastika, the Jerusalem Post website reports today (December 9, 2015).

"The damage is too large. The plaque could not be saved," a city official said. "Therefore, the plaque will be disassembled....and recreated."

Jonny Daniels, Founder and Executive Director of "From The Depths" -- an organization dealing with Holocaust memory and anti-Semitism -- said in a statement: "It's so sad to see this kind of graffiti in the heart of Warsaw, a city that understands perhaps more than others the extent of Nazi evil...."

The Warsaw Ghetto was the largest of all Jewish ghettos in Europe during World War II. Over 400,000 Jews lived in it. By the end of World War II, however, some 300,000 Jews of the ghetto were either killed by the Nazis or died of starvation.

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Pope Francis launched the Jubilee Year of Mercy today (December 8, 2015), with the opening of the Vatican Holy Door near the end of a Mass in St. Peter's Square where he was joined by his predecessor Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and thousands of pilgrims, surrounded by heavy security, according to the Religion News website.

"This extraordinary year is itself a gift of grace," Francis told the faithful in his homily at Mass. "To pass through the holy door means to rediscover the infinite mercy of the Father who welcomes everyone and goes out personally to encounter each of them."

"How much wrong we do to God and His grace when we speak of sins being punished by His judgment before we speak of their being forgiven by His mercy," he said. "We have to put mercy before judgment."

After addressing the crowds, Francis embraced a frail-looking Benedict, who resigned from the papacy in 2013 and was invited by his successor to attend the jubilee ceremony.

In an obvious retaliation against Muslims for two radicalized Muslim terrorists' murders of 14 innocent people in San Bernardino, California last week, a severed pig's head was tossed outside a Philadelphia mosque, upsetting residents of multiple faiths and prompting federal and city investigations, the USA Today website reports today (December 8, 2015).

Pigs are considered unclean in Islamic culture and pork is not eaten by most practicing Muslims. Mayor-elect Jim Kenney quickly condemned the "bigotry that desecrated" the Al-Aqsa Islamic Society building two nights ago.

The desecration comes as Muslims face heightened scrutiny in the United States and abroad after deadly terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, California. In a devout effort to safeguard American lives, Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump went so far yesterday as to call for banning Muslims from entering the United States.

Marwan Kreidie -- head of the Arab American Development Corporation -- said the FBI was investigating the pig's head incident. He added that anti-Muslim sentiment in the U.S. is "worse now" than it was after the September 11, 2001 multiple terror attacks.

Monday, December 7, 2015

Republican Presidential frontrunner Donald Trump -- in an unyielding effort to end the ongoing murders of many innocent Americans by radicalized Islam terrorists -- today (December 7, 2015) called for a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States" until the country's representatives can "figure out what is going on," the Yahoo News website reports.

The Trump campaign justifies this discrimination by saying that large segments of the Muslim population bear "great hatred toward Americans."

"Without looking at the various polling data, it is obvious to anybody the [Muslim] hatred is beyond comprehension," Trump said in a statement.

He added, "Where this hatred comes from and why, we will have to determine. Until we are able to determine and understand this problem and the dangerous threat it poses, our country cannot be the victim of horrendous attacks by people that believe only in jihad and have no sense of reason or respect for human life. If I win the election for president, we are going to make America great again."

A recent U.S. intelligence report on ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) -- commissioned by the White House -- reveals that the self-proclaimed Islamic State will spread worldwide and grow in numbers, unless it suffers a significant loss of terrritory on the battlefield in Iraq and Syria, The Daily Beast website reports today (December 7, 2015).

The report -- released shortly before the recent terrorist killings of 130 people in Paris -- stands in stark contrast to earlier White House assurances that ISIS had been "contained" in Iraq and Syria. Moreover, it is initiating changes in U.S. military procedures, resulting in the U.S. implementing a more aggressive military strategy against ISIS.

The report is also a tacit admission that coalition efforts so far -- dropping thousands of bombs on ISIS and deploying U.S. and coalition trainers -- have been outpaced by ISIS' ability to expand and attract new followers.

The fact is that ISIS has expanded its control of territory in both Iraq and Syria during the past year -- despite a plethora of U.S. and coalition bombings -- and ISIS recently gained control of the strategic oil-rich city of Sirte on the Mediterranean coast of Libya.

Sunday, December 6, 2015

The president of a U.S. Christian university has encouraged his students to get concealed firearm permits, so they can prevent the next shooting from happening on campus, the Raw Story website reports today (December 6, 2015).

Jerry Falwell, Jr. -- head of Liberty University, a Christian school in Virginia -- commented on the mass shooting last week at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, California. Fourteen people were killed and 21 were injured in the attack, carried out by a Muslim husband and wife who claimed loyalty to the radical Islamic State (IS).

"It just blows my mind when I see the President of the United States say the answer to [San Bernardino] is more gun control," Falwell said. "If some of those people in that community center had had what I've got in my back pocket right now [they might not be dead]..."

Falwell encouraged people to carry guns so they could "end those Muslims before they walk in and kill us." He added the university offers a free course to help students get a concealed carry permit.

The Islamic State (IS) group said yesterday that a married couple -- who murdered 14 people in California last week in an attack the FBI believes is an "act of terrorism" -- were followers of the radical terrorist organization, the Washington Times website reports today (December 6, 2015).

The extremist Islamic group made its claim in an online radio broadcast. The declaration comes three days after Syed Farook, 28, and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, 29, carried out a mass shooting on a holiday party for civil servants in San Bernardino, California, killing 14 people.

The two terrorists died later in a shootout with police. They were both Muslim.

U.S. authorities have said that the couple may have been radicalized and their attack may have been inspired by the terrorists, but added that there was no evidence the attack was directed by the Islamic State. The San Bernardino attack was the deadliest terrorist attack in the United States since the savage terrorist attacks of 9/11/2001.

Saturday, December 5, 2015

Former New York Governor, George Pataki, yesterday called for a "war on radical Islam" via his Twitter account, the Morocco World News website reports today (December 5, 2015).

Pataki -- who is running for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination -- took on to social media to urge Americans to "kill all" radical Islamists following the San Bernardino radical Islamic attacks on December 2, which were the worst terrorist attacks in the U.S. since the 9/11/2001 attacks.

Tagging U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch and refuting her recent comments denouncing violence in America, Pataki posted a controversial statement on Twitter.

"We must declare war on radical Islam. Loretta Lynch, I'm not edging toward violent speech. I'm declaring we kill them. Go ahead, arrest me," Pataki's tweet read. Pataki was referring to Lynch's recent comment that... "actions predicated on violent talk are not American, they are not who we are, not what we do, and they will be persecuted."

A judge has ruled that an Indiana high school cannot portray a Nativity scene with live performers in its annual Christmas Spectacular, the Christian Headlines website reports today (December 5, 2015).

U.S. District Judge Jon DeGuilio ruled that the display "conveys a message of endorsement of religion, or that a particular religious belief is favored or preferred."

A complaint against including the nativity scene in the annual Christmas Spectacular put on by Concord Community Schools was filed with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Indiana and the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) by a student and his father.

Superintendent of schools, John Trout, said he is disappointed in the court's ruling. He added the school district is planning to appeal the court's preliminary injunction.

Friday, December 4, 2015

Greek American Nicholas Thalasinos, 52, was among 14 victims of the fatal terrorist shooting on December 2 in San Bernardino, California, the Greek Reporter website reports today (December 4, 2015).

Thalasinos was working with shooting suspect Syed Rizwan Farook at the San Bernardino County Health Department's environmental services division, his wife Jennifer said. She added that her husband and Farook got along well together, and that Farook did not appear to have any hostility toward co-workers.

"Thalasinos was a member of the Greek Orthodox Church who recently converted to Messianic Judaism and was a strong proponent of Israel, and pro-everything American," according to Kuuleme Stephens, a friend of the Greek American.

Messianic Judaism is a religion that refers to Jews who accept Jesus Christ as the Messiah. They seek to retain their Jewish heritage and follow a Jewish lifestyle, while at the same time embracing Christian theology. Most of them believe that Jesus' apostles were the first Jews to accept Him as Messiah.

Thursday, December 3, 2015

Deadly terrorist attacks -- like the one in Paris last month and the one in California yesterday -- are indications that a third world war has begun, the Vicar of Baghdad asserted today (December 3, 2015), according to the Christian Post website.

Canon Andrew White -- the only Anglican Vicar in Iraq when the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization rose to power in Iraq and Syria -- spoke at a lunch discussion hosted by the Washington-based Institute on Religion & Democracy, and explained that Muslims, Christians, and Jews need to work together to support the persecuted refugee communities in the Middle East and combat extremist ideologies that are causing society to "fall apart."

In the wake of Islamic State's attacks in Paris that killed 130 civilians and injured over 350 others in November, terror struck in the United States yesterday when two gunmen -- one of whom was believed to have been in contact with domestic and international Islamic extremists -- shot up a social services building in San Bernardino, California, and killed 14 people and injured 21 others.

While most people in the West have had the luxury of hearing about heinous acts of terrorism by IS and other extremists in the Middle East from afar, White argues that terror is now striking in the heart of Western nations with some regularity, and the world has entered a third world war.

Following raids in four Italian cities yesterday, four people who police officers described as "a highly dangerous group" were arrested in Brescia, Italy and in Kosovo, the Clarion Project website reports today (December 3, 2015).

All were citizens of the predominantly Islamic nation of Kosovo -- which had been part of the now-defunct country of Yugoslavia -- with suspected links to Syrian jihadists.

According to police, the radical Muslims had "threatened Pope Francis, celebrated the recent attacks in Paris, and threatened the ex-U.S. ambassador in Kosovo."

Investigators in the case said they found threats made online by the group, including one against Pope Francis, which read: "This will be the last Pope."

After more than 10 hours of debate, members of parliament voted 397 to 223 to support Prime Minister David Cameron's case that the country needs to do more to help destroy the radical Muslim militants who are plotting against the United Kingdom.

British Tornado bombers could leave an airbase they use in Cyprus within hours to launch the country's latest action in the Middle East.

Britain is already engaged in airstrikes against ISIS in Iraq, but many members of parliament and much of the public have been wary of entering into another costly military operation in Syria.

Determined to subdue any effort by terrorists to carry out deadly attacks -- like those that killed 130 people in Paris on November 13 -- French authorities have shut down three mosques for a "pattern of radicalization," including one raided by police at dawn today (December 2, 2015) in eastern Paris, according to the USA Today website.

Interior Minister Bernard Cazaneuve said a "large police contingent" closed one mosque in Lagny-sur-Marne, a suburb in eastern Paris, placing nine "radicalized individuals" under house arrest and barring another 22 from leaving the country.

Two other mosques -- one in Gennevilliers in the northwest suburbs, and one in Lyon -- were also closed down within the past week. The interior ministry referred to the three mosques as "pseudo religious associations." In other words, the mosques were being used as a front to plan terrorist attacks in France.

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Five people were injured today (December 1, 2015) when a pipe bomb exploded on an overpass near an Istanbul metro station, halting some train operations and heightening security fears in Europe's biggest city, according to the Reuters website.

Turkey has been on high alert since more than 100 people were killed by two suicide bombers in its capital of Ankara in October.

Today's blast near the Bayrampasa metro station came at the height of the evening rush hour, district Mayor Atila Aydiner told A Haber television. Bayrampasa is a residential and industrial area on the European side of Istanbul.

Today's explosion was much smaller than the one in Ankara, which is believed to have been carried out by Islamic State (IS) radicals.

The Pentagon will send a force of special operators to Iraq to assist the government and Kurdish forces in conducting raids and gathering intelligence against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group, Defense Secretary Ash Carter told the House Armed Services Committee today (December 1, 2015), according to the Washington Examiner website.

The special operators will work with Iraqi troops to build their capacity and their raids will focus on defending Iraq's borders, Carter said.

The troops also will be able to conduct independent raids into Syria, he added.

Carter and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford were summoned before the House Armed Services Committee to answer lawmakers' concerns that the Obama administration's approach to fighting the Islamic State is not aggressive enough.

About Me

I am of the Eastern Orthodox faith and a member of the Holy Trinity Hellenic Orthodox Church in Lowell, MA. I am married and the father of two grown married daughters with children, all belonging to the Greek Orthodox Church.

I received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, with a concentration in International Affairs, and a Master of Education degree from Northeastern University.

I worked as an education specialist for the federal government for two decades before retiring.

Blog Goal
The primary goal of the Theology and Society blog is to provide its readers with a brief informative description of contemporary theological issues and events, and the impact they may have on society.